Lines of black-clad Egyptian riot police descended upon hundreds of French activists lining up in front of a rank of riot barriers separating the street and the sidewalk in front of the French Embassy in Cairo, locking the French activists into place. Dozens of police troop carriers lined the far side of the boulevard. Red water cannons sat behind them - palpably menacing. The French activists are part of the European Palestine solidarity group, EuroPalestine. They number about 300.
Later, Egyptian security forces hemmed in a couple of American activists at the American embassy. Most of these activists were Americans who had signed a pledge to be nonviolent. As I write, hundreds more are on the steps of the Egyptian press syndicate. Secret police huddle nearby, muttering into their walkie-talkies. Two squadrons of serried riot cops, armed with truncheons and guarded by Plexiglas shields, are on either side of the steel riot barriers sitting in front of the protesters, walling them off, or trying to wall them off, from the Egyptian public.
All of these people are part of the Gaza Freedom March, an international coalition that was formed to end the siege of Gaza - 1,400 people from over 40 countries, including Palestinian writer Ali Abunimah, Alice Walker, Filipino Representative Walden Bello, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights Michael Ratner, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, and others.'
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